20211214 SAVING FAITH
14 December, 2021, Tuesday, 3rd Week of Advent
First reading |
Zephaniah 3:1-2,9-13 © |
All peoples shall invoke the Lord's name and serve him
Trouble is coming to the rebellious, the defiled,
the tyrannical city!
She would never listen to the call,
would never learn the lesson;
she has never trusted in the Lord,
never drawn near to her God.
Yes, I will then give the peoples lips that are clean,
so that all may invoke the name of the Lord
and serve him under the same yoke.
From beyond the banks of the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants
will bring me offerings.
When that day comes
you need feel no shame for all the misdeeds
you have committed against me,
for I will remove your proud boasters
from your midst;
and you will cease to strut
on my holy mountain.
In your midst I will leave
a humble and lowly people,
and those who are left in Israel will seek refuge in the name of the Lord.
They will do no wrong,
will tell no lies;
and the perjured tongue will no longer
be found in their mouths.
But they will be able to graze and rest
with no one to disturb them.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 33(34):2-3,6-7,16,18-19,23 © |
This poor man called; the Lord heard him.
I will bless the Lord at all times,
his praise always on my lips;
in the Lord my soul shall make its boast.
The humble shall hear and be glad.
This poor man called; the Lord heard him.
Look towards him and be radiant;
let your faces not be abashed.
This poor man called, the Lord heard him
and rescued him from all his distress.
This poor man called; the Lord heard him.
The Lord turns his face against the wicked
to destroy their remembrance from the earth.
They call and the Lord hears
and rescues them in all their distress.
This poor man called; the Lord heard him.
The Lord is close to the broken-hearted;
those whose spirit is crushed he will save.
The Lord ransoms the souls of his servants.
Those who hide in him shall not be condemned.
This poor man called; the Lord heard him.
Gospel Acclamation |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Look, the Lord will come to save his people.
Blessed those who are ready to meet him.
Alleluia!
Or: |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Come, Lord! Do not delay.
Forgive the sins of your people.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 21:28-32 © |
Tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you
Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people, ‘What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He went and said to the first, “My boy, you go and work in the vineyard today.” He answered, “I will not go,” but afterwards thought better of it and went. The man then went and said the same thing to the second who answered, “Certainly, sir,” but did not go. Which of the two did the father’s will?’ ‘The first’ they said. Jesus said to them, ‘I tell you solemnly, tax collectors and prostitutes are making their way into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you, a pattern of true righteousness, but you did not believe him, and yet the tax collectors and prostitutes did. Even after seeing that, you refused to think better of it and believe in him.’
SAVING FAITH
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ZEPH 3:1-2,9-13; PS 33:2-3,6-7,16,18-19,23; MT 21:28-32]
For Protestants, the doctrine of Justification by faith alone (sola fide) was the battle cry of the Reformation. It was an overly exaggerated reaction against the Catholic’s emphasis on the necessity of good works to be saved. Of course, whilst the Catholic Church has never maintained that good works is the cause of our salvation, the emphasis on doing good, penance, gaining plenary indulgences through prayers, donations and sacrifices, seem to give the impression that salvation is through one’s efforts and the good works one produces so that he could give a proper account to God and find justification. The truth of the matter is that salvation is through faith in Christ alone, but this faith is more than a notional faith, a verbal faith or a nominal faith in our justification by His passion, death and resurrection. To be truly a saving faith, such faith must lead to obedience.
This obedience of faith is underscored by St Paul at the outset and conclusion of the letter to the Romans, lest we must misunderstand the central theme of the entire letter focused on justification by faith in Christ. At the beginning of his letter he wrote, “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God … through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name, including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.” (Rom 1:1,5) In his conclusion, again he reiterated that justification by faith requires obedience. “Now to God who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever! Amen.” (Rom 16:25-27)
Within this context, we can appreciate the parable of the two sons who were asked to work in the vineyard. This parable was of course addressed to the religious leaders of Israel. God had called them to work in His vineyard, that is, for the people of Israel. But instead of leading the people to God, they abused their privileged position. They were teaching the Law but were themselves evading or breaking the Law in their life. They only appeared to be good, holy and pious, said the right things but their hearts were far from God. They were seeking for honour, wealth, glory, power, and some were even cheating the people. They were the elder son in the parable, called to be leaders. They said “yes” but they did not carry out what the Lord required of them. It was just lip service. They rejected the true prophets of God, John the Baptist whose divine authority was recognized by the people and our Lord Jesus Christ.
That was how the religious and political leaders of Israel conducted themselves before the exile. The prophet Zephaniah warned them, “Trouble is coming to the rebellious, the defiled, the tyrannical city! She would never listen to the call, would never learn the lesson; she has never trusted in the Lord, never drawn near to her God.” They were rebellious like their forefathers, refusing to obey the Word of God that God spoke through His prophets. They broke the laws. They defiled themselves by committing sins, and worshipping false gods. The leaders and the powerful were oppressive, cheating and taking advantage of the poor. “The officials within it are roaring lions; its judges are evening wolves that leave nothing until the morning. Its prophets are reckless, faithless persons; its priests have profaned what is sacred, they have done violence to the law.” (Zeph 3:3f) Indeed, the leaders swallowed up the property of the poor, the judges, instead of ensuring justice, themselves received bribes; the prophets, instead of speaking the Word of God, proclaimed their own compromised word that sought to satisfy their listeners rather than what God commanded; and the priests, instead of teaching the people to observe the law, profaned the Temple of God.
In contrast, the people were more willing to repent and change even though they also did not keep the law. They were the younger son in the parable. Initially, they were disobedient but later on they repented. Many of them came to John the Baptist for baptism and many sought the Lord for healing and reconciliation. These were the sinners that the religious leaders condemned and ostracized. But, as the Lord remarked, “I tell you solemnly, tax collectors and prostitutes are making their way into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you, a pattern of true righteousness, but you did not believe him, and yet the tax collectors and prostitutes did. Even after seeing that, you refused to think better of it and believe in him.”
This parable of St Matthew’s gospel is but an elaboration of the Sermon on the Mount when the Lord warned the people, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?’ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.'” (Mt 7:21-23) As St James wrote, “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe – and shudder. Do you want to be shown, you senseless person, that faith apart from works is barren?” (Jms 2:14,15, 18-20)
Hence, the Lord underscores the importance of good works. He gives us the principle of discernment as to who are the true leaders. “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? n the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits.” (Mt 7:15-20)
A saving faith therefore is a doing faith. It entails faith in Jesus Christ, conversion of heart and concrete actions of love, charity, and living the life of the Spirit. Otherwise such profession of faith is empty. Words cannot replace deeds. The only way to justify that we have faith in Christ is when we live the kind of life He has asked us to live. What counts at the end of the day, as St Paul wrote, is a faith working through love. (Gal 5:6) Only such a faith is a justifying faith. We must not deceive ourselves into believing that just because we have a nominal faith in Christ, we are saved. It requires cooperation.
Today’s parable perhaps also is St Luke’s way of urging the religious leaders to be humble and repent. Like the prodigal son, we too strayed away. But when we choose to return, the Father happily welcomes us back without any conditions. He restores us to our sonship. This is true for the people of Israel as well. Zephaniah’s warning to his people has a message of hope as well. A time would come when they would be exiled. However, God would leave behind a people with “lips that are clean, so that all may invoke the name of the Lord and serve him under the same yoke. From beyond the banks of the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants will bring me offerings. In your midst I will leave a humble and lowly people, and those who are left in Israel will seek refuge in the name of the Lord. They will do no wrong, will tell no lies; and the perjured tongue will no longer be found in their mouths.” Indeed, like the prodigal son, unfortunately, we have to be put down to come to realization just as the Lord did to His people. “When that day comes you need feel no shame for all the misdeeds you have committed against me, for I will remove your proud boasters from your midst; and you will cease to strut on my holy mountain.” Let us repent and come to realization before it is too late. The Lord wants to give us peace and joy. But we must be humble and return to Him.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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